So here’s the rub: I added some petty color in that post that was rude and disrespectful to Bruce. Nothing major, but unnecessary. Time to own it.

When I wrote it at 1:30am out of frustration with Bruce’s comments it seemed funny at the time.

Then I re-read it the next morning and thought to myself, “that was a bit pointed for no particular reason.”

I let it slide because I don’t make a habit of editing posts once they’re up and normally, it’s just part of the shtick. I also figured he’d never read it anyway.

Then Bruce emailed me, and what he said, despite my own rationalization, really kicked me in the butt for days:

I linked to it from my blog post. I did so because it was interesting, but almost didn’t because it was rude. Honestly, your points are good enough to stand on their own.

Bruce

Wow.

I apologized poorly in email and annotated the post to say I was a dick, but that’s not enough because if what Bruce said is true — that my points are good enough to stand on their own — then I owe him the respect of removing the things that don’t need to be there — and shouldn’t have been in the first place.

So I’m going to do that.

You might think I’m overreacting or you might disagree with my actions as a betrayal of my supposed personality. Doesn’t matter. I should do better.

Thanks for the humility reminder, Bruce.

I still don’t agree with you, but I respect your right to an opinion. Sorry for the snark.

Chris – I am impressed with you for accepting a mistake and apologizing for it openly. As a regular reader of your blog, I know you can be a bit abrasive, though as Bruce points out, your points usually hold up!

It's a fine line between being a true jackass and being passionate with opinions. I'm certain you're the latter, but I think everyone passionate at some point has to apologize for moments when it can come across as rude or when our passions blind us a bit to the words we're actually saying.

This post is part of the reason I'm a fan of your blog and work, thanks!